Customized golf putter head and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A customized golf putter head includes a face member and hosel combination that is selected from a plurality of differently configured face member and hosel combinations and a back body that is selected from a plurality of differently configured back bodies. The selected back body has a mating section that is disposed in a cavity formed in a rear surface of the selected face member and hosel combination. The putter head may also include a membrane that is positioned between the selected face member and hosel combination and the selected back body for absorbing vibration when a front surface of the selected face member and hosel combination strikes a golf ball.

[0001] This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09/766,216filed Jan. 19, 2001, incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to golf putters and, inparticular, to a golf putter head which may be customized to meet anindividual golfer's preferences.

[0003] Since putting is a highly individualistic aspect of golf, manyconfigurations of putter heads are available to satisfy the preferencesof the individual golfer. Putter head configurations vary significantly.Prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,220,733 to Saleeby; 4,121,832 to Ebbing;5,407,196 to Busnardo; 5,437,447 to Rigutto; 5,230,509 to Chavez; and5,275,413 to Sprague disclose putter heads with multiple components. Forexample, the Ebbing, Busnardo and Rigutto patents disclose putter headswith removable face plates while the Saleeby, Chavez and Sprague patentsdisclose putter heads with detachable rear weights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention provides a golf putter head including aface member and hosel combination that is selected from a plurality ofdifferently configured face member and hosel combinations, and a backbody that is selected from a plurality of differently configured backbodies. The selected face member and hosel combination has a heel end, atoe end, a front surface arranged for striking a golf ball, and a rearsurface with a cavity formed therein. The selected back body has a heelend, a toe end, and a mating section which is disposed in the cavity inthe selected face member and hosel combination. The golf putter head mayalso include a membrane that is positioned between the selected facemember and hosel combination and the selected back body for absorbingvibration when the front surface of the selected face member and hoselcombination strikes a golf ball. The membrane preferably comprises alayer of elastomeric material with adhesive on opposite sides thereoffor bonding the selected face member and hosel combination to theselected back body.

[0005] The present invention also provides a method of making a golfputter head. The method includes providing the plurality of differentlyconfigured face member and hosel combinations from which to select andthe plurality of differently configured back bodies from which toselect. The selected face member and hosel combination is secured to theselected back body by a pair of screws in order to form the golf putterhead.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled putter head accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

[0007]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the putter head shown in FIG. 1;

[0008]FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 inFIG. 1;

[0009]FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along theline 4-4 in FIG. 1;

[0010]FIG. 5 is an elevational view of one component of the putter headshown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

[0011]FIG. 6 is a partially exploded perspective view of a putter headaccording to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0012]FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 7-7 inFIG. 6;

[0013] FIGS. 8-11 are perspective views of differently configured facemember and hosel combinations; and

[0014] FIGS. 12-14 are perspective views of differently configured backbodies.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, a golf putter head is indicated generally bythe reference numeral 10. The putter head 10, as shown in the explodedview of FIG. 2, is formed of multiple components including a face member12, a hosel 14, a back body 16 and a membrane 18. These components areheld together by a pair of screws 20. The hosel 14 has a boss 15 forreceiving one end of a golf shaft (not shown).

[0016] The face member 12 has a sole 22, a toe end 24, a heel end 26, afront surface 28 arranged for striking a golf ball (not shown), a topledge 30 and a rear surface 32. The top ledge 30 is disposed between thefront and rear surfaces 28, 32. A cavity 34 is formed in the rearsurface 32 with the cavity 34 having a recessed bottom surface 36circumscribed by a rim surface 38. An upwardly opening socket 40 isformed in the top ledge 30 of the face member 12 for receiving adepending extension 42 of the hosel 14 as shown in FIG. 4. The facemember 12 and the hosel 14 are preferably formed of suitable metal suchas stainless steel. When both the face member 12 and the hosel 14 areformed of metal, a sintering process may be used to secure the hosel 14to the face member 12. Alternatively, the hosel 14 may be formed of asuitable synthetic resin and secured to the face member 12 by using anadhesive such as epoxy. It will be apparent that by fabricating the facemember 12 and the hosel 14 as separate components and securing themtogether in the manner indicated, face members having differentconfigurations may be provided. The face member 12 may be selected froma plurality of differently configured face members, and the hosel 14 maybe selected from a plurality of differently configured hosels.

[0017] Alternatively, the face member 12 and the hosel 14 are integrallyconnected to each other to form a face member and hosel combination.FIGS. 8-11 show a plurality of differently configured face member andhosel combinations 13 a, 13 b, 13 c and 13 d from which to select. Theseface member and hosel combinations 13 a-13 d include respective facemembers 12 a-12 d and hosels 14 a-14 d.

[0018] The back body 16 has a sole 44, a toe end 46, a heel end 48 and amating section or projection 50 which is shown best in FIGS. 2 and 5.The mating section 50 of the back body 16 is separated along its loweredge 51 from the sole 44 by a lip 52 which extends between front endportions 54 and 56 of the back body 16. The mating section 50 has anelongated upper edge 58 opposite the lower edge 51. It is contemplatedthat a plurality of differently configured back bodies will befabricated to provide a selection of back bodies having various weightsand shapes. The back body 16 may be formed of any suitable material suchas metal or synthetic resin. The mating section 50 of the back body 16has a shape that matches the shape of the recessed bottom surface 36 ofthe face member cavity 34 to provide a proper fit when the face member12 and the back body 16 are secured together as described below.

[0019] A plurality of differently configured back bodies 16 a, 16 b and16 c from which to select are shown in FIGS. 12-14. It will beunderstood that any of the face member and hosel combinations 13 a, 13b, 13 c, 13 d may be secured to any of the back bodies 16 a, 16 b, 16 cthereby providing twelve different putter head configurations. The backbodies 16 a, 16 b, 16 c may be formed of any suitable material such asmetal or synthetic resin. Preferably, the back bodies 16 a, 16 b, 16 care formed of polymer containing tungsten powder. The polymer maycontain varying amounts of tungsten powder which will provide backbodies 16 a, 16 b, 16 c of different weights. Each of the back bodies 16a, 16 b, 16 c may be provided in three different weights, i.e. lightweight, medium weight and heavy weight. When the twelve different putterhead configurations, mentioned above, are combined with the threedifferent weights of back bodies, thirty-six different putter heads maybe assembled.

[0020] As seen in FIG. 2, the face member 12 is provided with a spacedapart pair of counterbores 60 and 62 formed proximate the toe and heelends 24 and 26, respectively, with the counterbores 60, 62 extendingfrom the front surface 28 through to the back surface 32. The back body16 is formed with a spaced apart pair of threaded bores 64 and 66 (FIG.5) adjacent the toe and heel ends 46 and 48, respectively, which aredisposed to axially align with the counterbores 60, 62 in the facemember 12 when the back body 16 is secured to the face member 12 by thescrews 20. The mating section 50 of the back body 16 is disposed withinthe cavity 34 of the face member 12 with the upper edge 58 of the matingsection 50 lying beneath the top ledge 30 of the face member 12 as shownin FIGS. 3 and 4. Therefore, a parting line 11 (FIG. 1) between the facemember 12 and the back body 16 is concealed by the top ledge 30 and isnot visible from directly above the putter head 10 such as when a golferis making a putting stroke with a putter incorporating the putter head10.

[0021] Referring to FIG. 2, it will be understood that the membrane 18may be formed with a shape that matches the shape of the cavity 34 inthe face member 12 and the shape of the mating section 50 of the backbody 16. As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the putter head 10 is assembled,the membrane 18 is positioned between the recessed bottom surface 36 ofthe cavity 34 in the face member 12 and the mating section 50 of theback body 16. The membrane 18 is preferably made of a thin layer ofelastomeric material such as foam tape which has adhesive on both sidesfor bonding the face member 12 to the back body 16. It will beunderstood that the membrane 18 may be die cut into a desired shape.Although the putter head 10 may be assembled without utilizing themembrane 18, it is preferred that the membrane 18 be used because itwill absorb vibration and enhance the sound made when a golf ball isstruck on the front surface 28 of the face member 12.

[0022] Another golf putter head is identified in FIGS. 6 and 7 by thereference numeral 68. The putter head 68 includes a face member 70 and ahosel 72 joined together in the manner described with respect to theface member 12 and the hosel 14 of the putter head 10. The face member70 has a top ledge 71 that is similar to the top ledge 30 of the facemember 12, and the hosel 72 includes a depending extension 73 that issimilar to the depending extension 42 of the hosel 14. The putter head68 also includes a back body 74 with a mating section 75 that is similarto the mating section 50 of the back body 16. A pair of screws 76 (onlyone of which is shown) are used to secure the face member 70 and theback body 74 together. The screws 76 pass through holes 78 (only one ofwhich is shown) formed in the back body 74 into threaded bores 80 (onlyone of which is shown) provided in the face member 70. The holes 78 aredisposed generally normally with respect to the mating section 75.Plates 82 may be inserted into recesses 84 formed in the back body 74 toconceal the screws 76. The plates 82 may be made of metal or plastic andsecured in place with a suitable adhesive. When the putter head 68 isassembled, the mating section 75 of the back body 74 has an upper edge77 that lies beneath the top ledge 71 of the face member 68 so that aparting line 69 between the face member 70 and the back body 74 isconcealed by the top ledge 71.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf putter head comprising: a face member andhosel combination selected from a plurality of differently configuredface member and hosel combinations, said selected face member and hoselcombination having a heel end, a toe end, a front surface arranged forstriking a golf ball, and a rear surface with a cavity formed therein;and a back body selected from a plurality of differently configured backbodies, said selected back body having a heel end, a toe end and amating section disposed in the cavity in said selected face member andhosel combination.
 2. The golf putter head of claim 1, furthercomprising a membrane positioned between said selected face member andhosel combination and said selected back body for absorbing vibrationwhen the front surface of said selected face member and hoselcombination strikes a golf ball.
 3. The golf putter head of claim 1,wherein said membrane comprises a layer of elastomeric material withadhesive on opposite sides thereof for bonding said selected face memberand hosel combination to said selected back body.
 4. The golf putterhead of claim 1, wherein said selected face member and hosel combinationcomprises a hosel extending upwardly from a face member, and whereinsaid face member and said hosel are integrally connected to form saidselected face member and hosel combination.
 5. The golf putter head ofclaim 2, wherein said membrane is interposed between a bottom surface ofsaid cavity and the mating section of said selected back body.
 6. Thegolf putter head of claim 5, wherein said membrane has a shape thatmatches both the bottom surface of said cavity and the mating section ofsaid selected back body.
 7. The golf putter head of claim 1, whereinsaid selected back body includes a threaded bore adjacent the heel endthereof and another threaded bore adjacent the toe end thereof, andfurther comprising a pair of screws extending through the heel and toeends of said selected face member and hosel combination into saidthreaded bores for securing said selected face member and hoselcombination to said selected back body.
 8. The golf putter head of claim1, wherein said selected face member and hosel combination includes athreaded bore adjacent the heel end thereof and another threaded boreadjacent the toe end thereof, and further comprising a pair of screwsextending through the heel and toe ends of said selected back body intosaid threaded bores for securing said selected face member and hoselcombination to said selected back body.
 9. The golf putter head of claim1, wherein said selected face member and hosel combination also has asole and a top ledge.
 10. The golf putter head of claim 9, wherein themating section of said selected back body has an upper edge that liesbeneath the top ledge of said selected face member and hosel combinationwhen the mating section of said selected back body is disposed in thecavity in said selected face member and hosel combination.
 11. The golfputter head of claim 1, wherein said selected face member and hoselcombination is formed of metal, and wherein said selected back body isformed of polymer containing tungsten powder.
 12. A golf putter headcomprising: a face member and hosel combination selected from aplurality of differently configured face member and hosel combinations,said selected face member and hosel combination being formed of metaland having a heel end, a toe end, a top ledge extending between saidheel and toe ends, a front surface arranged for striking a golf ball,and a rear surface with a cavity formed therein; and a back bodyselected from a plurality of differently configured back bodies, saidselected back body being formed of polymer containing tungsten powderand having a heel end, a toe end and a mating section disposed in thecavity in said selected face member and hosel combination, the matingsection of said selected back body having an upper edge that liesbeneath the top ledge of said selected face member and hosel combinationwhen the mating section of said selected back body is disposed in thecavity in said selected face member and hosel combination.
 13. The golfputter head of claim 12, further comprising a membrane formed of a layerof elastomeric material with adhesive on opposite sides thereof forbonding said selected face member and hosel combination to said selectedback body, said membrane being disposed in said cavity and positionedbetween a bottom surface of said cavity and the mating section of saidselected back body for absorbing vibration when the front surface ofsaid selected face member and hosel combination strikes a golf ball. 14.The golf putter head of claim 12, wherein said selected back bodyincludes a threaded bore adjacent the heel end thereof and anotherthreaded bore adjacent the toe end thereof, and further comprising apair of screws extending through the heel and toe ends of said selectedface member and hosel combination into said threaded bores for securingsaid selected face member and hosel combination to said selected backbody.
 15. The golf putter head of claim 12, wherein said selected facemember and hosel combination includes a threaded bore adjacent the heelend thereof and another threaded bore adjacent the toe end thereof, andfurther comprising a pair of screws extending through the heel and toeends of said selected back body into said threaded bores for securingsaid selected face member and hosel combination to said selected backbody.
 16. A method of making a golf putter head comprising: providing aplurality of differently configured face member and hosel combinations;selecting a face member and hosel combination from said plurality ofdifferently configured face member and hosel combinations; providing aplurality of differently configured back bodies; selecting a back bodyfrom said plurality of differently configured back bodies; and securingsaid selected face member and hosel combination to said selected backbody in order to form said golf putter head.
 17. The method of claim 16,further comprising: providing said selected face member and hoselcombination with a rear surface having with a cavity formed therein; andproviding said selected back body with a mating section which isdisposed in said cavity when said selected face member and hoselcombination is secured to said selected back body.
 18. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: providing a membrane which is positionedbetween said selected face member and hosel combination and saidselected back body when said selected face member and hosel combinationis secured to said selected back body.
 19. The method of claim 18,further comprising: providing said membrane with adhesive on oppositesides thereof for bonding said selected face member and hoselcombination to said selected back body.
 20. The method of claim 16,further comprising: providing a pair of screws for securing saidselected face member and hosel combination to said selected back body